Maiko Month 2014
by LauraFirebender
Summary: A collection of one-shots and drabbles for the Maiko Month 2014 challenge. Ratings will change with each chapter.
1. Youth

**Maiko Month 2014 **

**Chapter 1: "Rainy Season"**

**Promt 3: Youth**

**Word Count: 879**

**Rating: K+**

**Notes: Occurs sometime after the incident with Zuko, Mai and the fountain. **

* * *

"Rainy season is so dull." The princess complained as she walked with her friends to the garden. After a long, stormy downpour finally they could play in the open air.

"But it's also short! I love leaving in a nation so sunny." Ty Lee always saw the bright side in everything. She was already jumping and doing pirouettes in front of the fountain, unconcerned about the thick, wet sludge layer that covered the place like a rug.

For Mai, there wasn't much difference between "seasons". Some rain didn't do much of a change, she did't get to go out much anyway.

The only problem was the mud.

Azula proposed to play Dragon's Chase and, as usual, Ty Lee agreed with her with a bright smile. But Mai wasn't as enthusiastic.

"No way. I'm not going in the sludge." She stated with a faint grimace.

"Oh c'mon Mai! It is fun!" Ty Lee screeched, ran towards her and grabbed her hands to drag her in. They tussled until Ty Lee gave in and Azula stood in front.

"Don't be such a dumb killjoy just because you are afraid of your mother Mai."

"I am not afraid of my mother Azula." Mai replied tediously.

"Then play."

Mai rolled her eyes. "That won't get me."

"We can play Dragon Chase without you! There needs to be more than two people, otherwise is not fun." Ty Lee complained.

"Then play something else." Mai said, attempting to leave and sit on the dry floor, when Azula bent down and raised up with mud in her hand.

"Take risk Mai, if you play with us, you may not fall down and get dirty. But if you don't I'll throw this at you." She meant it in a playful tone but Mai knew she wasn't kidding. Azula's threats were never jokes.

Mai sighed, she really hated her sometimes.

The game was a usual chase game, the chaser (or dragon) closed his eyes while the other players (or prays) attempted to pass to the other side without making any noise. If they did, and "the dragon" heard, he would open his eyes and chase any pray.

Azula always called to be the dragon first; she liked to show off her hearing abilities and dexterity as a hunter.

They had been playing for some minutes when Zuko -who was walking down the corridor at one side of the garden-, got spotted by his sister. At the sight of him Azula grinned wickedly with the grin she reserved for the times she used to torment her brother.

"Hey Zuko!" She shouted at him, quickly grabbing a mound of mud in her hands. The prince reacted to his name and turned his head just in time for the mud ball to splash in his face. Azula burst out laughing and Ty Lee tried to conceal her giggles behind her hand. Mai looked away, frowning and blushing in embarrassment. She hated that Azula couldn't even see him without tantalizing him."Well, there is something good about rainy season after all."

"URGH!" Zuko's face seemed to smoke with anger and behind the mud his skin was as red as an apple. He jumped inside the garden furiously and ran towards his sister, managing to bend down and grab a handful of mud on the way. He threw it at her, but Azula was quick to dodge it, and it flew in the air until it landed on Mai's face.

Zuko stopped in his tracks horrified at what he had done. The sludge had not only hit her face but also sprinkled in her hair, which, he knew, she was always very rigorous about it being neat. Damn ? Why? Why it always had to be her?

"MAI! I'm so sor—" But before he could finish his sentence, something squishy and thick splattered on his face and after furiously wiping the mud off it, he saw the offender. She blushed instantly and looked as stunned as him at what _she_ had done but he could tell he was attempting to cover her amusement. But she gave up, the shocked look in his face was too much to bear. After the initial shock of realizing it was Mai who had the hand soaking mud, annoyance took him and he glared at her. He hadn't expected such an offense from her. She didn't care.

For the first time since he had met her, Zuko was seeing Mai bursting out laughing. He quirked his eyebrows at this, it was already strange to see her amused at something, he was sure he hadn't even heard her giggle ever, to see her laughing was too unfamiliar, it made no sense.

Yet it was so beautiful, like the sound of a rare bird. Neither mocking nor mischievous or high warmed him, washed his anger away and spread delight through his body.

Suddenly they were laughing together, until two mud balls hit each in the face. Azula wasn't happy to see her brother enjoying himself and Ty Lee just wanted to join the fun.

They all spent the rest of the afternoon throwing mud at each other, the dull atmosphere of after-rain suddenly filled with laughter; it was one of the very few times they had fun together.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed it! I'm such a novice in this... and english is starting to give me a hard time so... please let me know if there are grammar mistakes or anything. I'm learning...  
Review please? :) Reviews are love **


	2. Sinner

**Chapter two: **

**Prompt 4: Sinner**

**Word Count: 1341**

**Rating: M for implied sex and some heavy make-up... I don't want to get in trouble. **

**Notes: this is an AU in which Zuko has spent 5 years banished instead of 3 and from time to time enters the Fire Nation disguised. **

There was a note in the drawer.

After 6 long months there was finally a note in the drawer.

Mai extended her arm and took the little piece of folded paper with a trembling hand, trying to hold back her anticipation.

She unfolded it with all the serenity she could manage, the nonchalance of her movements a contrast with the constant rising of her pulse. The writing was simple and concrete.

-The passageway next to Yang Lo restaurant-

Mai felt a shiver all over her body and turned her gaze to the clock. 3 hours till midnight. A heavy sigh escaped her mouth. She left some minutes pass to compose herself before standing up a looking herself in the mirror. Deciding to stay as she was, she headed to the dining room.

Her mother was still sitting on the couch feeding her little brother. Her eyes seemed sleepy. She was about to go to bed.

Mai retreated to her room and patiently waited for her mom to retreat to hers. It wasn't long until the silence in the house was broken by her mother's footsteps heading to her room and Mai allowed another hour to pass for everyone else to be asleep on the house. In the meantime, she taught about the last time she had seen Zuko.

He had been thinner and more tanned than the meeting before, but he also seemed calmer and less violent. He was always changed in some way when the met, she wondered what was going to be now.

When an exact hour had passed Mai opened her window, climbed on it and jumped into the night at the Fire Nation Capital Streets.

While she walked her heart seemed to pump harder into her ribcage as she approached the Yang Lo restaurant. It was already closed and there was not a spirit in the streets. Everything was perfect.

* * *

Zuko was leaning against one cold wall of the passageway. He was dressed in black, like a Fire Nation commoner. A hood covered his head and he had his swords in his back, just in case. It was a moonless night, which made the passageway so dark he could barely see what was at the other side. He could smell everything though, unfortunately. He wished he could see Mai in a decent place. He wished he could see her whenever he wanted. Their last encounter seemed to had happened years ago. He was craving for her; her scent, her skin, her voice. It pursued him in his dreams, so he had left his uncle in the middle of the night, leaving a note saying he needed to do something important.

Had he been waiting for hours? Had he got to the meeting spot too early or was she running late? Each time he was afraid that she wouldn't show up. Maybe the day had finally come. Maybe he needed to move on with his life without dragging her into it.

Or maybe he was just overreacting and dying of impatience.

He was about to go the entrance of the alleyway when he finally saw someone entering it, the figure illuminated only by a distant lantern. He immediately stiffened and missed a heartbeat; he could recognize her silhouette from miles away. She was walking as elegant as ever, as if she had just happened to be there and wasn't involved in anything. Why did she have to walk in such a torturing pace? It was maddening, and he couldn't do anything about it. The last time he had tried, he ended up pinned in a wall.

So he waited, holding his breath.

"I'm here." Mai announced, when they were finally face-to-face and he could feel her breath in his mouth. Her raspy voice send shivers down his spine, it was the sweetest sound he had heard in months.

"You are." Zuko affirmed in a relieved whisper. "Can I hold you now?" Mai smiled.

"What were you waiting for?"

With that, his arms were around her and he crashed his lips against hers. They kissed roughly, passionately making up for the lost time. Mai brought her hands to his neck and pulled him closer to deepen the kiss. Zuko grabbed her waist and pressed their bodies harder.

They broke apart gasping for breath, pressing their foreheads together.

"You couldn't find a nastier place, could you?" Mai teased between pants.

"I'm sorry." Zuko murmured. "Let's get out of here."

"I know a place."

Mai guided him through the empty and dark streets of Caldera to a little garden near the Royal Palace, hand in hand and in a hurry. Unable now to contain her need of him, there was no time to waste. They climbed the rocky wall surrounding it and Zuko lit up an oil lamp hanging in there. They sat at the soft grass and began tiring each other's clothes frantically and continuing the fiery kiss from before.

"What took you so long?" She breathed against his lips.

"I was out of the city for some time, uncle's suggestion."

"How much time you'll stay?" Mai asked as she traced the path from his bare chest to his pants with one delicate finger.

"Not much." Zuko gulped. " I… need to get some things done elsewhere."

"Something I'm interested in?" She inquired while removing his pants.

"I prefer not t—" He stopped speaking when he noticed something familiar on Mai's hand, and it took his brain a few seconds to identify it.

His face twisted in shock.

"YOU ARE GETTING MARRIED?!"

Mai followed his bewildered gaze and found her engagement wristband tied to her right wrist. She had worn it so long she had forgotten she had it and she cursed herself for it.

Mai lifted her face and met Zuko's eyes. His pleasant lust-filled gaze had turned into a dark glare, demanding explanation. She arched a brow.

"Don't look at me like that. It was going to happen sometime." Mai replied dryly. "Did you expect me to tell my mother that I couldn't get married because I was waiting for the banished prince?"

That hurt him like a fist in his stomach, but he seemed to understand. She softened her expression as well when she saw his pain and tried to reassure him.

"I don't want to do it, Zuko, really. But I got no way out… unless you let me go with you."

"No." He replied firmly.

Mai sighed.

"Then everything will stay the same between us."

"Of course it won't." Zuko snapped. "You're going to be married."

"I'll just have a wristband in my wrist."

"You will… have to sleep with other man." He protested.

"So? Does that'll make me disgusting to you?"

"No, of course not!" He growled. "I just…" He just couldn't share her, imagining her being touched by someone else was enough to make his blood boil. "It'll make me want to kill him."

She smiled ruefully.

"Who is him?"

"No one you know, and killing him wouldn't solve anything. My parents would find me another match."

Zuko gritted his teeth and squeezed her wrist.

"Careful, he wouldn't like it if I appear with a burned wristband."

"Take it off." He commanded.

"Do it yourself." She demanded.

Zuko almost ripped the shiny thing apart. When it landed on the grass she used her now free hand to bring his head towards her. She kissed his neck as she slowly laid him on the grass. Zuko tried to protest but eventually surrendered to the warm of her lips.

"Let's don't—talk – about it – anymore." She murmured as she kissed her way to his ear. "I forget about my life when I'm with you, don't take that away from me."

"Okay." He groaned, continuing with the past process of taking her annoying clothes off. He knew there was still a lot he should say, but he had waited to be with Mai for far too long.

He felt, at that moment, that Mai's body deserved more attention than everything in the world.

* * *

I did this in a haste... hope is still enjoyable... Review? c:


	3. Smoke

**Chapter 3: Addiction**

**Prompt 5: Smoke**

**Word Count: 365**

**Rating: T**

* * *

People said it was a Firebender thing, but Azula's wasn't quiet as entrancing. Ever since she met Zuko, Mai had found his scent delightful. He smelled like smoke, but the most delicious smoke in the world.

Maybe she is crazy for thinking so much of his smell, but she doesn't care. She loves to embrace him and inhale him, to feel the smell envelope her, mesh with her and purify her. She doesn't need any kind of meditation stuff to soothe her. She has him, and his scent. She loves to catch him after a training session, because it is one of the times that his smell is stronger. She kisses him hard then, because his scent is so prominent in his mouth he can taste it, because his breath also smells like smoke.

When he was banished, she cried over the smell of burned parchment. When she blew a candle and all that it left was the smoke, it made her heart ache with incertitude. It made her wonder if, as the candle, his flame had blown out somewhere, leaving only the ghost of his scent that would slowly fade away. When he left the second time, she wept over her smoky-smell-filled sofa, hoping to catch a last glimpse of it, and feeling embarrassed at the same time for such a low act.

It was her addiction, and she wasn't planning on quitting. She has him now, and he is her personal walking drug. She can breathe him in any time she wants, when his duties don't take him away. When they do, she can settle with having his scent printed in her clothes.

Well, _sometimes_ she can do that.

Now, as she lies with him in their bed, tangled in the sheets and bodies pressed together, she feels that she doesn't ever wants to stop this. She feels that she depends on his essence. She could be drowned by it and she wouldn't mind. If she died, and in her last breath the last thing she inhaled was his scent, she would die with a smile in her face.

For some, smoke means danger, destruction or decadence. For her, it means home.


	4. Beginnings

**Chapter 4: "The new girl" **

**Prompt 6: Beginnings**

**Words: 580**

**Rating: K**

**Notes: This one will continue in the prompt "Hiding"**

* * *

**Beginnings**

When Zuko first met Mai it had been against his will. He was a nine-year-old boy and wanted nothing to do with Azula and any girl she befriended, especially after meeting Ty Lee; an extremely cheerful girl whom Zuko found extremely annoying. He assumed all girls were irritating, always looking for ways to bother him and doing everything his sister did.

His mother had made him meet her, arguing that he needed friends, that maybe he would like the new girl. He was sure he wasn't going to, and he made that clear to her. He had more than enough with having to live with Azula and with the pink girl coming almost all days. Why would he want to meet more _girls_?

Despite his complains he ended up in the garden where he supposed the group of girls was. He wasn't one to dispute his mother for too long.

He was lucky that day; Mai was alone in the place. She looked at him with eyes somewhat curious while sitting against the fountain. The first thing he noticed about her was his raven hair. It was the shinier and blacker hair he had ever seen. It glowed in the sunlight and Zuko couldn't help but noticed that it contrasted beautifully with her ivory skin, which was the second thing he noticed. He had also never seen such light skin.

She had not smiled brightly and squeaked "You're Azula's brother!" She had not looked at him with a sly smile, waiting an opportunity to mock him. She had just gazed at him and arched a brow, as if silently asking him why was he staring. He had found himself unable to move and he had not understood why he felt his face burning.

After some other seconds of awkward staring he had finally managed to approach her, uncomfortably standing next to her.

"Hi-umm- I'm Prince Zuko."

At the mention of his title the girl quirked her eyebrows and looked at him as if suddenly remembering something. She gently stood up and bowed in front of him.

"It's an honor to meet you Prince Zuko." She replied monotonously, looking at his feet. He looked at her with wide eyes. He had never seen someone around his age bow at him; adults did that, not kids, or at least not when their parents weren't around.

He looked at his sides unsure of what to do; the girl was still doing the traditional reverence. "Emm… thank you." She silently straightened. "You are Azula's new friend right?" She nodded and sat back down on the grass.

"What's your name?" Zuko inquired, suddenly remembering that he didn't know yet.

"Mai." She answered simply avoiding his gaze.

_Mai… It suits her somehow._

There was a moment of silence in which Zuko couldn't think of anything else to say. He wasn't sure if he had to continue the conversation at all, she didn't seem interested on talking to him, and she seemed she wanted to be left alone. And why was she alone anyway? His sister was nowhere near… or was she? Was this a trap?

"Why aren't you with Azula?" He asked with suspicion, and she sighed.

"We were playing hide and shriek…but I got bored of hiding."

She hadn't been caught by Azula? Where on earth did she hide?

"What?" She asked, seeming to notice he was looking at her with wide eyes.

"Can you show me where you hide?" He asked almost pleadingly.


	5. Dreams

**Chapter 5: "Sweet dreams and nightmares"**

**Prompt 8: Dreams**

**Words: 1192**

**Rating: T**

* * *

It was getting worse with every night and it was uncontrollable. They had happened to him before but it hadn't been as frequent. He had had other things in his mind; his country, the promise with Aang, his mother. Those problems were resolved now, so he used the responsibilities that came with his duty as Fire Lord to keep his mind away from her in the day, but there was no way to do it at night.

Since he had returned to the palace after the search of his mother, Mai's image insisted on torturing him every night with caresses and smiles and kisses. It hadn't been so maddening at first. He could have lived with only dreaming about her smile and her eyes, but it hadn't stopped at that. All of a sudden he had started dreaming about smelling the scent of her hair, then kissing her lips, the touching her skin. She seemed to get power over him with every night. He hadn't even allowed himself to think about the last dreams, they were just too embarrassing. Pleasant while he slept, but embarrassing when he woke up.

In fact they were delicious. They became more intense and vivid with every night. The dreams felt so good and seemed so real that when he woke up, they left and ache in his chest that remained the rest of the day.

He wanted her, alright. He was craving for her. He wouldn't deny that. He knew the dreams were the representation of his need. But he couldn't act like a stupid teenager and be controlled by his love life. He had to get over her. He was the Fire Lord. There were more important issues. Besides, he had decided their breakup was for the best. Mai deserved more than he could offer. Mai deserved more than him. They had hardly been together after the war ended, and he knew his duty wasn't getting any easier. It would always build a barrier between them; it would always drift them apart.

"It's for the best." He reminded himself in a whisper. "I'm not going to look for her."

He was in his meditation room. Surrounded by red walls and illuminated only by the candles encircling him. He had gone to the room to meditate about some political decision, but somehow Mai had managed to get into his train of thoughts. Apparently now the dreams were allowed to interrupt the political part of his life.

Zuko tried to concentrate again on the problem that had originally brought him to the room. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, the fire in the room rising and falling with his breath. Yet the thought of visiting her wouldn't leave his head.

"No, that wouldn't do neither of us any good." He continued trying to convince himself. "And she is probably fine. Better without me."

So the days continued and the dreams became more and more difficult to ignore. Every day he had to convince himself that looking for her wouldn't help anyone and that the dreams would have to stop eventually, if he didn't pay them attention. But he had never been one of those people who knew how to ignore problems. Problems trapped him. They encircled him, like the candles in his Meditation room, and always threatened to consume him, like fire would a wooden stick.

OoOoO

Mai woke up gasping and sweating, desperately looking everywhere to make sure she was just in her room at aunt Mura's house and not at the streets of Caldera City. Nothing had happened. No one was in danger. Zuko was safe.

Well, the last things were disputable. She was a firsthand witness of that. She had met a society that conspired to bring him down, to kill him. There had already been 7 assassination attempts since he had been crowned Fire Lord, and he had the senseless habit of wandering the streets without guards.

It had been days since she had been brought to the barracks of the New Ozai Society, but it was beginning to get on her nerves. Her father's secret society hadn't seemed as much of a threat at first, nothing to worry too much about, so she hadn't told anyone about it. Now she felt that there were members everywhere. She heard whispers when walking on the streets. She felt people recognized her, and by recognizing her, they started talking about their Fire Lord, and what they said weren't praises.

She was afraid, yes, but not for her. For him.

The fear had lately begun to represent in nightmares. She dreamed about different attacks to his life; a bomb in the palace, a knife on his throat, poison. She had just woken up from seeing him pierced by a sword. It was the first dream in which she saw his death, in the others she just received the news or saw his corpse. It was getting unbearable.

She still loved the idiot; he was still the person she cared about the most. Seeing him die every night was killing her slowly. Her mind was torturing her, she had to do something.

After some minutes she made the decision.

She got out of bed gently and looked for a bag. There was no point in trying to get more sleep so she thought it better to start packing something; there wasn't much that she had brought anyway.

The moon was still bright in the sky by the time she finished, and she opened the curtains to let its light illuminate the room a little. She opened her drawer again just to make sure she wasn't leaving anything behind when something caught her eye; the bottom of the drawer was covered in a canvas, her drawing of her and Zuko. She pulled it out and stared at it, focusing on her lazy sketch of Zuko. He looked almost happy in it, he seemed calm. He had hardly been happy the days before their breakup. His frown was almost permanent on his face. Oh how she missed his smile…

It finally dawned on her that she was going to see him again, that she had to stand in front of him and talk to him again. She was embarrassed to feel his pulse quickening at the thought.

_Calm down Mai_, she thought, _you are just going to tell him about the "society" and give him so help to arrest your father and his gang, nothing more. _

So she closed the drawer and threw the portrait in the garbage.

The next day she told her auntie Mura that she had to go to the Caldera for some time, how much? She didn't know. When her aunt asked her if she was going to see the Fire Lord, she lied with a simple "No." and with that, her aunt dropped the subject.

Tom-Tom wasn't that easy.

"I dond't undestand!" He cried. "Why you have to go?"

_Because our father and some other people are stupid and blind, just as I was about a year ago. _

"I won't be gone forever Tom-Tom, I'll be back before you can miss me."


End file.
